John Boehner: Marriage ‘Between a Man and a Woman’

Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — As President Obama’s support for gay marriage reverberates around the world, the country’s top elected Republican made clear that he still believes marriage should be limited to one man and one woman.

“I have always believed that marriage was between a man and a woman,” House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told Fox Business in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

The speaker suggested the reignited debate over gay marriage is a distraction to other legislative business on Capitol Hill, especially considering the state of the economy.

“Republicans here on Capitol Hill are focused in on the economy,” he said. “The American people are still asking the question, ‘Where are the jobs?’ and our focus is going to continue to be on the economy like it has been for the last year and a half.”

Asked whether he would support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, Boehner punted, explaining that Republicans continue to focus “on the economy and getting the American people back to work.”

“I haven’t really seen this proposal [on a constitutional amendment],” Boehner answered. “All I know is that this is a very controversial issue in our country, but most people believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman.”﻿